Roland and Almita Vamos

Roland and Almita Vamos (affectionately known as 'The Vamoses') are a husband and wife who are among the leading violin and viola instructors in the world. Their pupils have become prominent soloists, members of world reknowned chamber groups and orchestras, and laureates of prestigious international competitions. The Vamoses have been recognized at the White House six times (and Almita Vamos will receive a seventh in the summer of 2009) and were named Distinguished Teachers by the National Endowment for the Arts. They have been honored by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) with the Distinguished Service Award, and showcased on CBS' Sunday Morning News.

Students of the Vamoses

Prominent Students

- Rachel Barton Pine (Soloist and prize winner in multiple major competitions)
- Jennifer Koh (Soloist: 2nd Prize International Tchaikovsky Competition and 1st Prize Irving M. Klein Competition and solo performances with many major orchestras)
- Benny Kim (Soloist)
- Cathy Basrak (Assistant Principal Violist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra)
- Kirsten Johnson (Associate Principal Violist in the Philadelphia Orchestra)
- Simin Ganatra (Violinist in Grammy Award winning Pacifica Quartet)
- Sibbi Bernhardsson (Violinist in Grammy Award winning Pacifica Quartet)
- Erin Schreiber (Assistant Concertmaster of St. Louis Symphony Orchestra)
- Ying Quartet: Both violinists and the violist (Grammy Award Ensemble In Residence at The Eastman School of Music and winner of the 1993 Naumburg Chamber Music Award)
- Daniel Ching (Violinist in Miro Quartet and on faculty at the University of Texas at Austin)
- Elisa Barston (Principal Second Violin of the Seattle Symphony. Previously the Associate Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra)
- Stephanie Arado (Assisstant Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra)
- Siow Lee Chin (Soloist and winner of the 1994 Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition in Mexico City)
- David Bowlin (Violinist and teacher at The Juilliard School from 2002-2005 and currently a professor at Oberlin Conservatory of Music)
- Benjamin Beilman (Soloist)
- Viacheslav Dinerchtein (Viola Soloist)
- David Yonan

Orchestra Positions

Their students are found in many major orchestras (also in leading principal positions), New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the The Cleveland Orchestra.

Competition Winners

Gold Prizes in the Tchaikovsky Youth Competition, Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition, Primrose International Viola Competition, Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, Irving M. Klein Competition, Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, , Sebastien Bach International Music Competition, Christi International Competition, Kingsville International Young Performers Competition, WAMSO, and Silver Prizes in International Tchaikovsky Competition, Michael Hill International Violin Competition, József Szigeti Violin Competition, International Fritz Kreisler Competition, Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, and Bronze (3rd) Prizes in the Paganini Competition and Montreal International Musical Competition. Students are also laureates of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the Stradivarius International Violin Competition.

Roland studied with Oscar Shumsky and William Lincer at the Juilliard School. He is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching four times, and has been honored with the ASTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award for his achievements.

Almita studied with Mischa Mischakoff and Louis Persinger at the Juilliard School. She is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching six times, and has been honored with the ASTA Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award for her achievements. A performing artist of the highest caliber, she won the prestigious Concert Artist Guild award in New York City along with many other prizes.

The Vamos' pedogogical lineage can be traced back to Eugène Ysaÿe, Henri Vieuxtemps, Henryk Wieniawski, and as early as Arcangelo Corelli.

Dr. and Mrs. Vamos have been members of the music faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago, Western Illinois University, University of Minnesota, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. They are currently on the faculty at Northwestern University.